Kitfox
Mexican Grey Wolf Member
Posts: 149
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Post by Kitfox on Nov 21, 2004 0:06:09 GMT -5
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Post by Whiskey Jack on Nov 30, 2004 12:16:54 GMT -5
Thats a interesting article Kit. Yeah, frogs have been widley recognized as indicator species for environmental problems. They, unfortunetly are usually the first to go in response to habitat change or environmental contaminants since they are so sensitive. If you are ever in an area that begins to lose its frogs, it is defenitly time to start worrying.
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Kitfox
Mexican Grey Wolf Member
Posts: 149
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Post by Kitfox on Nov 30, 2004 12:23:15 GMT -5
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Post by Whiskey Jack on Nov 30, 2004 12:33:36 GMT -5
Man, that is always one of the saddest sights to see...footage of whales beaching themselves. I have heard a couple of interesting theories about this (but I have heard even more local ideas on why it happens). If the whales are in a pod, constantly migrating together to a destination, and one accidently beaches itself the others will not abandon it and will actually beach themselves too. The other one I heard is that something is messing with the whales echolocation that it uses to navigate, this could be any number of things, including sattalite transmission, or other low frequency sounds that are close to land (mostly human caused). If they get surrounded by such an interference then they lose control and wind up beached.
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Stinger
Mexican Grey Wolf Member
Cowboy Up!!
Posts: 183
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Post by Stinger on Dec 7, 2004 22:04:48 GMT -5
Mountain lion killed after threatening father and son in Ventana Canyon
Wildlife News November 26, 2004
TUCSON, Ariz. — Arizona Game and Fish Department officials say they had no choice but to destroy a mountain lion that threatened a father and his eight-year-old son who were hiking in Ventana Canyon Friday afternoon. A spokesman for the department says the big cat represented a threat to public safety.
The father and his son were vacationing from San Diego and were less than a mile up the canyon from the trailhead when the lion came out of the brush and moved toward them, stopping only feet away. According the father, the lion was crouched and ready to attack. The father was able to pick up his son and shout at the lion until it finally disappeared back into the brush.
A Game and Fish Department wildlife officer responded and accompanied the father to the scene of the incident. While the officer was investigating, a woman came up and said that a mountain lion had just approached her and wouldn’t move off the trail. Moving to that area about 300 yards up the trail from the first encounter, the officer found the lion 12 to 15 feet from the trail, crouched, tail twitching and acting as if it were ready to attack.
The department officer began moving backwards, made sure the area was clear of people, and fired two firearms shots, killing the lion.
“It’s clear that this lion didn’t act in a normal manner and was a safety threat to an eight-year-old boy and several other people including a Game and Fish officer,” says Bob Miles, a department information officer. “If mountain lions become daylight active, that is one cause for concern,” he says. “When lions show no fear of people that is red flag number two. If they begin stalking people, that’s a big red flag and the department must take action to protect public safety.”
Game and Fish Department officials also say that capturing and relocating any mountain lion exhibiting abnormal behavior is not an option.
“We cannot take the chance of relocating and releasing a mountain lion that is a threat to humans. Not when people’s lives are at stake,” Miles says.
The lion’s body was taken to the University of Arizona Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory where it will be examined and tested for rabies. Test results are expected next week.
Ventana Canyon is a popular hiking area located on the southern edge of the Santa Catalina Mountains and adjacent to a resort and residential homes.
Mountain lions, also called cougars, are typically secretive and are seldom seen. Mountain lions can be found throughout Arizona and are not an endangered species: the statewide population is estimated at 2,500 animals. Mountain lions are top-level predators, killing and eating primarily deer, but also elk, livestock and other domestic animals. Mature males weigh as much as 150 pounds and females 100 pounds.
Biologists say that the removal of a lion will not cause any long-term damage to Arizona’s overall mountain lion population.
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Post by Whiskey Jack on Dec 8, 2004 16:24:58 GMT -5
Well.....Game and Fish got their wish. They got to kill the lion in that area....it sounds to me like those city people may have over reacted. -------------------------------------------- Here is some news from New York where perhaps the most famous Red-tailed Hawk has been evicted from its nest that it has had for years. There was even a book written about it (called Redtails in Love, damn good book I must say). Anyway, through a lot of searching I found the e-mail address of the company in charge of the building and responsible for the removal, it's Brown Harris Stevens and the e-mail is: info@bhsusa.com I fired of a letter of outrage off to them, and so have a lot of folks across the country, so feel free if you feel so inclined, maybe we can at least crash their servers with massive ammounts of e-mail .... NEW YORK - Pale Male the city hawk was evicted from his nest, and the flap has already begun. So said aggrieved bird-watchers and neighbors after workmen raised a scaffold to the top of a Manhattan apartment Tuesday and ripped out the famous red-tailed hawk's nest The act appeared to end an urban drama that has fascinated bird-watchers over the past nine years, as Pale Male and a succession of mates raised 25 chicks — the last trio of fledglings last June — on the narrow 12th floor ledge over Fifth Avenue. The hawks also achieved a measure of world fame, through television specials and a book, "Red-Tails in Love." On summer weekends, crowds have gathered at the Central Park boat pond to observe them. "I am outraged," said a teary-eyed Jane Corin, who lives across the street. "That building has been very good about this until now. It's heartbreaking." Pale Male — so named for his whitish plumage — and his mate, Lola, were nowhere to be seen as the nest was removed, nor were any of their latest offspring. "The hawks will come back and find the nest is gone," said bird hobbyist Lincoln Karim, an engineer at Associated Press Television News who in summer often lets people view the birds through his giant telephoto camera. "How could these people do this?" City Parks Commissioner Adrian Benape said he was consulting with state officials to determine who removed the nest and whether any law or regulation had been broken. Red-tailed hawks are not legally protected, he said but the loss of the birds would hurt because "they limit the rodent population in an area where natural predators were absent for a long time." A doorman at the building said it was managed by Brown Harris Stevens, a prominent Manhattan real estate firm. At the company office, an employee declined to comment. ------------------------------------ And here are some links to photos of these hawks that are at a site devoted to Pale Male. www.palemale.com/
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Stinger
Mexican Grey Wolf Member
Cowboy Up!!
Posts: 183
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Post by Stinger on Dec 8, 2004 20:03:55 GMT -5
Yeah it sure seems like Game and Fish has just been itching to kill some lions down there! I hope that is not true!! I agree, it sounds like the hikers were over reacting a little, instead of just taking in the fact that they saw one of the most elusive animals in Arizona!! Man, I wish I was that lucky, of course I would probably be the one that would get attacked because I wanted a closer look or I was in too much awe!
That is a BS story about Pale Male, I cant believe they did that, well actually I can! Stupid New Yorkers!!! I hope they get a major rat outbreak that is infected with Bubonic Plague!! Did that seem a little dractic!? I am definitely going to send an email to that company, I agree at least see if we can shut down their server!
Kinda sounds like some city officials are upset about it too maybe they can figure out a way for him to get back, or is it too late? Will they build there again if they are allowed?
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Kitfox
Mexican Grey Wolf Member
Posts: 149
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Post by Kitfox on Dec 8, 2004 21:41:39 GMT -5
If people like the birds so much, why did they remove the nest? Was it some kind of problem? It seems like a great way to get bad publicity for your apartments by chasing away famous birds that have had books and tv shows about them.
I'm with you on the mountain lion thing, Stinger. I'd love to be approached by one like that. I'd probably be dumb and try to approach the angry lion and then be killed. o.o Crazy city folk being scared of a vicious lion ready to attack them... =)
Poor mountain lion though. =(
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Post by Whiskey Jack on Dec 9, 2004 19:46:57 GMT -5
Yeah...they will build there again, in fact both the hawks have been seen circling the area with sticks in their mouth. But not only did they destroy the nest, they took down the spikes that were there supporting the nest. I think the spikes were originally placed on there to keep pigeons from roosting, but they made excelent stick holders too for large raptor nests. Kit, the building managers will not comment as to why they destroyed the nest, so since it is private property, the city doesn't have a very big say in the matter. BUt the world is responding pretty heavily and firing off letters to the building managers, the New York government and the mayor.
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Stinger
Mexican Grey Wolf Member
Cowboy Up!!
Posts: 183
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Post by Stinger on Dec 15, 2004 18:15:34 GMT -5
Hawks Get Co-Op Board's Approval to Return By LARRY McSHANE, Associated Press Writer
NEW YORK - A week after two red-tailed hawks were evicted from their aerie outside a luxury apartment building, the board that runs the high-rise on Fifth Avenue has given in to the demands of bird lovers and agreed to let Pale Male and Lola rebuild their nest. Now the question is whether the birds that flew the co-op will come home to roost.
The possible return of Pale Male and Lola came after a week of angry protests and bizarre Big Apple street theater on a stately block of Manhattan. Women chanted with stuffed birds on their heads, ambulance sirens screamed in support of the hawks, and a 13-year-old girl tap-danced in a cow costume in the middle of Fifth Avenue.
The tale of two hawks began a decade ago, when Pale Male took up residence at 927 Fifth Ave. With a succession of mates, he raised 25 chicks to the delight of many New Yorkers, who watched the brood through binoculars and telescopes. Each year, more sticks were added until the nest, on an arched cornice outside a 12th-floor window, came to weigh 200 to 300 pounds.
Finally, on Dec. 7, the board had the nest pulled down and carried away, citing hazards from falling debris, including the occasional squirrel, pigeon or rat carcass flung out of the nest by the hawks after feeding. The board also feared the nest would weaken the cornice.
Scores of demonstrators flocked nightly to the corner of 74th and Fifth, often joined by actress Mary Tyler Moore, an ardent hawk advocate who lives in the building. The protesters directed their anger at the co-op board, headed by developer Richard Cohen, the husband of another celebrity: CNN anchor Paula Zahn.
Like many apartment buildings in New York City, the building is a cooperative run by a board of directors.
In a single night outside the building, two women stood with stuffed birds perched on their heads. Car horns blasted in support of the demonstrators.
"Bring back the nest!" about 75 protesters shrieked in unison as building residents looked from their windows in disbelief.
And then, her tap shoes clicking on the pavement, 13-year-old Samantha Brown-Walker, clad in a cow costume with shaking udders, danced in the middle of Fifth Avenue as her mother watched proudly. "MOOOVE Over Co-op Board," read her sign.
On Tuesday, a protester, Lincoln Karim, was arrested and charged with harassing and stalking Zahn and her family. Karim, a video engineer with Associated Press Television News, agreed on Wednesday to stay 1,000 feet away from the building. A court date was set for Jan. 26.
On the same day as the arrest, a deal was announced to restore the pigeon spikes that had anchored the nest, and to install a protective guard rail. The spikes were originally intended to keep pigeons from depositing their droppings on the building.
E.J. McAdams, executive director of NYC Audubon, was confident the hawks would return to their nesting site.
"If we put the spikes up, Pale Male will return," McAdams predicted.
But when last spotted, Pale Male was avoiding the entire scene, scrounging for vermin in Central Park.
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Kitfox
Mexican Grey Wolf Member
Posts: 149
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Post by Kitfox on Dec 15, 2004 18:45:24 GMT -5
You gotta love those tapdancing cows.
That's really good news though. Hopefully they will come back to nest and everyone can forget about this little fiasco. Stupid people tearing down the next in the first place...
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Post by Whiskey Jack on Dec 22, 2004 20:38:53 GMT -5
Yes...it is good news. Unfortunetly I recieved an e-mail from the New York Audubon Society and it appears that the building managers are really dragging their feet trying to reinstall the nest platform. They probalby think that the longer they prolong it the more likely something will either happen to the hawks, or they will simply try to find a new place to nest. Many fols have been seeing them over Central Park. So it is not over yet! We still gotta keep our fingers crossed that wildlife will win this battle!
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Post by Whiskey Jack on Jan 6, 2005 12:01:46 GMT -5
Here is some official TWS lingo on global warming and the effects on wildlife,,,,it is pretty interesting. ______________________________ The Wildlife Society: Global Climate Change Report This media advisory was released December 15, 2004, by The Wildlife Society. For a copy of the report, see the link at the end. If you have any questions, please contact: Tom Franklin (tom@wildlife.org) or Bill Rooney (bill@wildlife.org) or telephone 301-897-9770. Wildlife Professionals Release Global Climate Change Report: Global Climate Change and Wildlife in North America "A Profound Threat to Wildlife as We Know It" BETHESDA, MD - Findings of a study released today by The Wildlife Society, the nation's leading group of wildlife professionals, present disturbing new facts about the likely impacts of global warming-especially its unprecedented speedup-on this continent's wild creatures. Among those impacts: · "The ranges of habitats and wildlife are predicted to generally move northward as temperatures increase." · "Many plant and animal populations may not be able to make the shift . . . northward because migratory corridors may already be closed off by urban sprawl, cities, and agriculture." · Where warming is greatest, "changes in forest dynamics due to disease and insects are very likely." · Projected sea-level rise may cause some wildlife species to be displaced inland or disappear entirely if their lowland wetlands are rapidly inundated, "critical mudflats used by migratory shorebirds" may be flooded, and "submergence of coastal marshes is expected to be most severe along the U.S. Gulf and Atlantic coasts." · "Amphibian populations and distributions are likely to change significantly as air and water temperatures change." · In North America's "duck factory," the Prairie Pothole Region from northern Iowa to central Alberta, "most scenarios predict significant declines in wetlands, and thus declines in the abundance of breeding ducks by the 2080s." Titled Global Climate Change and Wildlife in North America, the report was written by eight technical experts appointed by The Wildlife Society and chaired by Douglas B. Inkley, Senior Science Advisor for the National Wildlife Federation. Inkley said unequivocally, "Global warming presents a profound threat to wildlife as we know it in this country." This study, the first comprehensive assessment of global warming's likely consequences for North American wildlife, "verifies that some species already are responding to climate change," said Tom Franklin, acting Executive Director of The Wildlife Society. Franklin added, "Some species of amphibians, waterfowl, migrant songbirds, and caribou are now known to be affected by habitat changes caused by climate change." "Wildlife species are closely adapted to their environments and readily respond to climate variation," the report states. But when such elements as pollution, ozone depletion, and urbanization are factored in, "the potential effect is even greater. Those effects are expected to be species-specific and highly variable, with some effects considered negative and others positive." Small or isolated wildlife populations may have difficulty adapting while some species with broad habitat ranges may even benefit from climate change. The report-containing color graphics depicting possible changes over the next 100 years in continental temperatures and precipitation-delivers this message to the professional wildlife community: "Ignoring climate change is likely to increasingly result in failure to reach wildlife management objectives. Managers need to become knowledgeable about climate change, ways to cope with it, and ways to take advantage of it." The study concludes with recommended actions for wildlife managers and government agencies. The Wildlife Society, founded in l937, is the nation's preeminent association of wildlife professionals, including biologists, research scientists, habitat managers, field technicians, educators, and wildlife agency administrators. It has some 9,000 members in more than 70 countries. Global Climate Change and Wildlife in North America is available to the media in PDF format at www.wildlife.org .
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Post by Whiskey Jack on Jan 20, 2005 12:17:04 GMT -5
Payments by Defenders for Grizzly Bear Livestock Kills Drop, Wolf Payments Rise "Defenders of Wildlife paid $12,795 in grizzly bear compensation funds to ranchers in 2004 -- a 32 percent drop from 2003. Conversely, payments through The Bailey Wildlife Foundation Wolf Compensation Trust to ranchers for wolf kills of livestock were up in 2004 to a one-year record of more than $136,000. Since 1987, Defenders had paid out more than $476,000 to compensate ranchers for losses due to wolves. Despite the fact that they are often vilified, wolves are only responsible for less than one-tenth of 1 percent of all livestock deaths on average." Do you all think this is a good way to handle the killing of livestock? Do you think it is fair? I think a good argument is based on the fact that one cow for instance isn't neccessarily only worth its market price to the rancher. That one cow could produce another cow, and so on, and the long term approach of looking at things makes the single payment look kind of small. But my opinion differs from this and I think it is an amazing thing that these payments even occur in the first place. It is not tax payer money that goes to this, it is private donations to a non-profit group that pays out these sums. The public is helping the ranchers from our own pocket, and we are asking for the ranchers help as well to protect wolves. What do ya'all think?
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Kitfox
Mexican Grey Wolf Member
Posts: 149
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Post by Kitfox on Jan 20, 2005 18:11:10 GMT -5
*puts his libertarian cap on* I think it's a great example of how conservation and wildlife protection and management can be handled without always turning to the government for help. Not to say that's always a bad thing, but generally when something can be handled privately it's more productive and both parties are benefitting in some way or another (otherwise the exchange wouldn't be taking place).
Of course there are always exceptions to the rule. =)
As to whether or not ranchers are being overpaid or underpaid, or as to how they should be paid and what for, I can't really say. I'm not a rancher, nor very knowledgable in wolf protection efforts.
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